How to re-position your hotel as family friendly
Families can be lucrative guests to the hospitality industry, and by positioning your hotel correctly you can attract the family market to your hotel to increase sales. Small changes to your revenue management strategy can make a difference. Here are some hints and tips to re-position your hotel as family friendly.
Check your inventory. Review your room types and identify if there are opportunities to increase your stock of family rooms. Check how many of your rooms can accommodate an extra bed or cot and whether maximum occupancy levels are configured in your system correctly.
Room type supplements. Review your occupancy by room type, if your revenue management strategy is to drive a higher volume of rooms sold, you may need to review and lower the room type supplement you charge. Alternatively, if your family room types sell out, then there may be an opportunity to increase the room type supplement to avoid selling out too quickly. Depending upon your demand patterns, there may be opportunities to leverage your room type supplements by day of week, another revenue management strategy for you to consider.
Management of systems. Make sure that your property management system and all distribution channels are configured correctly to allow customers to find family rooms at your hotel, especially if they’re filtering their search criteria. For example, if a customer is specifically searching online for a room to accommodate two adults and two children, make sure that your room types are returned in their search, otherwise the customer may bypass your hotel.
Create Packages. Partner up with local attractions to create packages that will draw attention to the family market. Package up as much as you can, as value for money and a unique offering will always appeal and give families good reason to book your hotel over and above a competitor. Although packaged rates may have a negative impact on average room rate, consider total hotel revenue, and not just accommodation, TrevPAR being the key measurement.
Welcome the kids. Review and refresh your current children’s policy, and sense check that it is relevant for today's market. Highlight the things that you offer that you know the whole family will appreciate, such as children’s menu options, free wi-fi and if applicable, leisure facilities. Children’s activities, such as a colouring-in station, or welcome pack upon check-in are simple and cost-effective to create, and will be a good distraction for the little ones. Paint a picture of good hospitality, convenience, and affordability, as this will go a long way towards building a great reputation.
Study the competition. Retain your competitive edge by watching what your competitors are offering and don’t give families reason to go elsewhere. You might have a similar offering as your competitors, but be creative and make your revenue management strategy more effective by highlighting your unique selling points so that you stand out in a crowded market.
Market your strategy effectively. Remember to align your revenue management strategy with your marketing message. Most people browse flight itineraries, compare offers, allocate budget, and search for the ideal family-friendly hotel online, so it’s important to portray the right information. Use effective digital marketing to drive customers to a specific page on your website. Make sure that you have great, high-quality images of families enjoying the best your property has to offer.
Change is constant in the hospitality industry and a proactive and prepared approach is critical in order to achieve commercial success while delivering an outstanding service that turns families into happy, returning visitors.
For more information, please get in touch to find out how our practical and down to earth approach can take your revenue management strategy forward, via our outsourced revenue management service, or for one off projects, revenue management consultancy.
